Staying Over
by amor-remanet
Summary: Percy is crashing at Oliver's place, and resisting every advance the Keeper makes. SLASH, PWOW.


**Disclaimer: **These aren't my characters, but I'll return them whole.

Directly after leaving his parents' house, Percy began to see meaning in absolutely everything, and it irritated him. The pattern in which the flowers grew or the way the leaves blew in the summer wind could mean _anything_ about him, his future, or his family and their allegiances…which meant that he had no control over the situation beyond absconding. However, that was, without a doubt, the least of his problems. After all, admitting that he didn't have control over his current circumstances was degrading…but hardly as degrading as showing up outside the flat of his dirty little secret and having to ask for space on the couch. And Oliver's obvious reluctance to let him move out didn't help anything. It wasn't that he was ungrateful – far from it, in fact – but…encroaching on Oliver's hospitality reaffirmed the fact that he was a Weasley and didn't have much money, even if he had made a name for himself and gotten promoted. Especially with the situation with Mr. Crouch…he'd thought for sure that he'd be stuck on the bottom rung with his father after _that_ mess.

Then there were the covert things, the miniscule, overlookable things that Oliver did for him, making it _painfully_ obvious that he wanted to rekindle what they'd had at school. Two weeks into Percy's stay, he broke out some Muggle liquor and, two shots in, began "serenading" his guest with an intoxicated and off-key rendition of Celestina Warbeck's "Come and Stir My Cauldron." That song was so old and out-of-character for Oliver, given that he usually preferred the "smooth and musical" tones of The Weird Sisters, Hecate and the Banshees, and The Stregherian Salamanders. Also unlike his usual self, Percy cut himself a break – albeit an enforced one – and imbibed a few shots as well. The last thing he remembered was Oliver kissing him before they both fell asleep on the floor.

He awoke the next morning wrapped in the blanket Oliver's mum had made him for getting signed to a team; his hair was mussed, his glasses askew, and the indeterminate smell of breakfast was washing over his senses. Groaning, he shoved himself up – alright, his clothes, although rumpled, were all where they were supposed to be…nothing too serious happened – and meandered into the tiny kitchen without bothering to get rid of the blanket. As he shakily lowered himself into a chair, Oliver turned around and grinned at him…apparently, _someone_ had had his Hangover Potion already. Granted, all that remained from Percy's drinking was vague nausea and a light headache, but Oliver had drunk more and, yet, he was cheerful as always.

"Still trying to _seduce_ me, are you?" Percy huffed apathetically, blowing a stray piece of hair out of his face.

"…_No_," Oliver scoffed, amused, "I'm making breakfast."

"I can do that for myself, in case you forgot-"

"Don't doubt your ability, Perce, but…your mum's the one who…_right_. I'll be quiet now."

"Thank you." Percy sighed and glared down at the table. "Because I don't need your charity, and I'm _really_ going to move out soon – if you'd stop stealing my _papers_, we could get over that obstacle quicker – and I _am_ self-sufficient."

"Never said you weren't…"

"You're being quiet, remember? _Anyway_, I have a good job, I'm working on getting a good reputation, especially now that I left my parents' place, and…I don't need to jeopardize it with _scandal_. Because I _know_ you, and I _know_ what you're trying to do, and I must say that I _highly_ disapprove."

"…I'm _trying_ to make breakfast, Perce."

"_No_, you're _trying_ to seduce me, and it won't work. I'm beyond the need for sex, and snogging, and companionship, unlike _some people_-"

"Okay, Perce," Oliver sighed, turning his back on the breakfast (Percy now saw that it was eggs). "There are lines, see, and you _just_ crossed one."

"What? By saying that I don't _need_ sex or by implying that _you_ do?"

"Neither: you crossed the line by saying that you don't need companionship; everyone needs companionship, even former Head Boys who report directly to the Minister of Magic."

"But I-"

"Shut up and let me finish. Did we have something once? Yes, yes we did; it was amazing, brilliant even, and I bloody well _enjoyed_ it, even if you're ashamed or what_ever_. But I'm _not_ trying to seduce you. I took you in because I like you, and I value your existence and happiness. I stole your papers because I wanted to read the sports section; I just didn't put them back. _Look_…I'm making eggs! There's no deeper meaning to anything I'm doing here. It's _breakfast_, plain and simple.

"Besides, _everyone_ needs someone else around. That's part of being _human_."

"Hypocrite…you were always trying to do things by yourself-"

"But I'm not _alone_, am I?"

Completely ignoring the eggs, Oliver crossed to Percy and knelt by his side, taking one, shaking wrist in one broad, calloused hand. He leaned in close and, with the other hand, made Percy look him in the eyes.

"If there's something that I'm doing that you don't like, tell me and I'll stop."

"You could start by not getting me drunk again."

"Okay…anything else?"

"…Kiss me."

"…But you just said-"

"I want to make sure that I don't want you to before I tell you for certain."

Oliver shrugged, smiled, and obliged.


End file.
